Journalist and former newspaper editor Magnus Linklater has been honoured with a CBE.
Mr Linklater, who is being celebrated for his services to the arts and media in Scotland, said: "It was a total surprise and I hadn't expected it at all.
"I am absolutely delighted and honoured to have received this award. It is equally, I think, a huge honour to have been living in Scotland over the past 25 years at a time of such significant political and constitutional change.
"Therefore, to have been a part of journalism during that time has been a great thrill and a great pleasure."
Mr Linklater, who was born in Orkney and raised in Easter Ross in the Highlands, has written for a variety of national newspapers since beginning a career as a journalist in the 1960s.
He was editor of the Scotsman newspaper for six years from 1988, a job he cites as a career highlight. He was at the newspaper's helm during some of the biggest news stories in recent history including the 1988 Lockerbie bombing.
"I think it is one of the greatest jobs in journalism," he said. "As a Scot and as a journalist, it was the pinnacle of my career.
"There were some huge stories during that time, including the Lockerbie bombing in my first year as editor. That story has stayed with me ever since."
Mr Linklater left the Scotsman in 1994 and took up a role at The Times, initially as a columnist, and in later years as the newspaper's Scotland editor. He continues to contribute to newspapers on a freelance basis.
His CBE also recognises his contribution to the arts. He held the post of chairman of the Scottish Arts Council for five years, from 1996 to 2001.
